Aero notes

(Provided by Northrop Grumman)Nothrop Grumman Corp's KC-30 tanker arrives at the Paris Air Show. Should Northrop win a competition to supply the tanker to the U.S. Air Force, the aerial refueler would be assembled in Mobile.

Riley, making his first visit to Toulouse on Friday, was presented with a model of the company's flagship A380 superjumbo jet by Airbus chief operating officer Fabrice Bregier.

Bregier, regarded as a rising star within the aerospace industry, told his guest that Airbus is committed to winning a competition that could bring an aircraft manufacturing plant to Mobile. Airbus is a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., which is teamed with Northrop Grumman Corp. in a bid to build refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

"We know we have to deliver the best product to the Pentagon and the best value to the taxpayers," said Bregier. "This is what we will do. And if I may wish, in two or three years from now, we'll have a grand opening for the final assembly line in Mobile."

Riley eyed the A380 model - roughly the size of a ceiling fan - and said he'd like to see the real thing in Alabama someday. "Wonder how much fuel this one would hold?" he quipped. The double-decker A380 is the world's largest passenger aircraft and will be a featured attraction at this week's Paris Air Show.

"I'll make a promise to you," Bregier said. "If we win the tanker contest, we'll bring the A380 to Mobile."

Huntsville

Huntsville officials hosted a cocktail party on the eve of the air show, which opens today at Le Bourget Airport.

The Sunday night event was held at L'Escale, a reception hall overlooking the Seine River and a short walk from the Eiffel Tower, where the city hosted similar gatherings in 2003 and 2005.

The party, catered by two-star Michelin chef Jean-Pierre Vigato, drew several hundred visitors and more than a few high-ranking politicians. Riley welcomed an audience that included U.S. Sens. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.

"Our mission here is to talk about a new Alabama, a reformed Alabama," Riley said. "We still have a negative image to some people in the world. All we have to do is get them to Huntsville one time. You are our best ambassadors."

Huntsville is home to both the Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center, earning it the nickname the "Rocket City."

"Nearly every major aerospace business has a presence in Huntsville, and half of the country's weapons are procured in our community," said Jeff Sikes, chairman of the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority. Sikes said the Pentagon spent about $24 billion in Madison County last year.

Guests got an update on the space shuttle Atlantis from NASA administrator Mike Griffin. Engineers are working to repair a computer problem on the Russian side of the station.

"We solved our computer problem. We'll return the Russian computer on the shuttle and bring it back up probably in July," Griffin said. "We've got a great team in orbit. It's tough to do trouble-shooting, particularly when you're doing it on national television."

Astronauts also repaired a thermal blanket near the shuttle's tail, enabling it to land safely, Griffin said. Looking ahead, "we're going to go back to the moon and then on to Mars," he said, drawing applause.